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Super Rugby is a men's professional rugby union club competition involving teams from Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. It previously included teams from Argentina, Japan, and South Africa. Building on various Southern Hemisphere competitions dating back to the South Pacific Championship in 1986, with teams from a number of southern nations, the Super Rugby started as the Super 12 in the 1996 season with 12 teams from 3 countries: Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. The Super 12 was established by SANZAR after the sport became professional in 1995. At its peak the tournament featured the top players from nations representing 16 of the 24 top-three finishes in the history of the Rugby World Cup. After the COVID-19 pandemic forced the competition to split into three, the reformed competition in 2021 and beyond will only include Australian and New Zealand clubs.
The Crusaders are a New Zealand professional rugby union team based in Christchurch, who compete in the Super Rugby competition. They are the most successful team in the competition's history and have won a collective of 10 titles.
The Blues is a New Zealand professional rugby union team based in Auckland, New Zealand who play in the Super Rugby competition. Like New Zealand's four other Super Rugby teams, the Blues were established by the NZRU in 1996. One of the most successful teams in Super Rugby history, the Blues won the competition in its first two seasons, 1996 and 1997, and again in 2003. Additionally, the team were finalists in 1998 and semi-finalists in 2007 and 2011.
The Brumbies is an Australian professional rugby union based in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory (ACT), The team competes in Super Rugby and named for the wild horses which inhabit the capital's hinterland. The team represents the ACT, as well as the Far South Coast and Southern Inland regions of New South Wales (NSW).
Crusaders Rugby League was a professional rugby league club based in Bridgend and later in Wrexham, Wales. They played for six seasons in the Rugby Football League competitions, including three years in the Super League from 2009 to 2011.
Kieran James Read is a former New Zealand rugby union player. He played as a Number 8 and is a former captain of the All Blacks, New Zealand's national rugby union team.
Matthew Brendon Todd is a New Zealand rugby union footballer, who plays as an Openside Flanker for the Panasonic Wild Knights in the Japanese Top League competition.
Orangetheory Stadium is a football stadium in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was formerly called AMI Stadium, and before that, the Addington Showgrounds.
The 2013 Super Rugby season was the third season of the new 15-team format for the Super Rugby competition involving teams from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. The tournament was won by the Chiefs, who defeated the Canberra-based Brumbies 27–22 in the competition final. For sponsorship reasons, this competition is known as FxPro Super Rugby in Australia, Investec Super Rugby in New Zealand and Vodacom Super Rugby in South Africa. Including the past incarnations as Super 12 and Super 14, this was the 18th season of the Southern Hemisphere's premier domestic competition. Conference matches took place every weekend from 15 February until 13 July – with a break between rounds 17 and 18 for internationals games – followed by the play-offs series that culminated in the final on 3 August.
Codie Joshua Dane Taylor is a New Zealand rugby union footballer who plays as a hooker for Crusaders in Super Rugby, Canterbury in the ITM Cup, and New Zealand internationally. Having grown up in Feilding and Levin before moving to Christchurch, he was a member of the Crusaders Wider Training Squad for the 2012 Super Rugby season and he has subsequently been promoted to the senior squad for the 2013 season, before making his international debut in 2015.
The 2014 Super Rugby season is the fourth season of the 15-team format for the Super Rugby competition involving teams from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. For sponsorship reasons, this competition is known as Asteron Life Super Rugby in Australia, Investec Super Rugby in New Zealand and Vodacom Super Rugby in South Africa. Including its past incarnations as Super 12 and Super 14, this is the 19th season for the Southern Hemisphere's premier transnational club competition. The conference games will take place every weekend from 15 February until 12 July, followed by the finals series, culminating in the grand final on 2 August. The winners of the 2014 Super Rugby Season were the New South Wales Waratahs
The 2015 Super Rugby season was the 20th season of Super Rugby and the fifth season featuring an expanded 15-team format. For sponsorship reasons, this competition was known as Asteron Life Super Rugby in Australia, Investec Super Rugby in New Zealand and Vodacom Super Rugby in South Africa. The round-robin matches took place every weekend from 13 February until 13 June, followed by the finals series and culminating in the final on 4 July. This was the final season that featured a 15-team format.
Peter Samu is an Australian professional rugby union player who is currently a loose forward for the Brumbies in Super Rugby. He has represented Australia in international rugby. After several seasons playing in Australia and England, Samu gained his professional career breakthrough in New Zealand, firstly with Tasman in the Mitre 10 Cup and then the Crusaders in Super Rugby.
Sevuloni Lasei Reece is a Fijian born New Zealand rugby union player who currently plays as a wing for the Crusaders in Super Rugby and Tasman in the Bunnings NPC. He also plays for the All Blacks internationally.
The 2018 Super Rugby season was the 23rd season of Super Rugby, an annual rugby union competition organised by SANZAAR between teams from Argentina, Australia, Japan, New Zealand and South Africa. After two seasons in which 18 teams participated, the 2018 season reverted to a 15-team competition, consisting of three geographical conferences.
The West Wales Raiders are a professional rugby league club based in Llanelli, Wales, following a move from Merthyr Tydfil. They play in League 1, the third tier of rugby league in the United Kingdom. The club was formed in 2009 as South Wales Scorpions, initially playing at The Gnoll in Neath before spells at Caerphilly, Mountain Ash and Maesteg. The club was rebranded to South Wales Ironmen to coincide with the move to Merthyr Tydfil in 2017. In July 2017 it was announced that following a takeover the club would be relocating to Llanelli and play their remaining home matches at Stebonheath Park. From 2018 they have been known as West Wales Raiders, the name of the club based at Stebonheath.
The 2018 Super Rugby Final was played between the Crusaders of New Zealand and the Lions of South Africa. The match, held at Rugby League Park in Christchurch, was the 23rd final in the Super Rugby competition's history.
Isaiah Punivai is a New Zealand rugby union player who plays for Canterbury in the Mitre 10 Cup, and for the Crusaders in Super Rugby. His preferred playing position is centre, wing or fullback. Punivai attended Christ's College in Christchurch, until he moved to Saint Kentigern College in Auckland for his last year of schooling. He signed for the Canterbury squad in 2020, and was named in the Crusaders squad for the 2021 season the same year.
References
- ↑ "Crusaders 30-12 Hurricanes". SANZAAR. 28 July 2018. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
